Improvement in burial-cases



G. v'AN wm KLL' Patented 1am 12, 197.15.,

4 W|TNESSES 25%@ esnnnr van WINKLE, or KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

' IMPROVEMENT In BURIAL-CASES.

; Specification form-ing p'art of Letters I Datcnt No. 158,654, datedJanuary 12, 1875; application filed December 5, 1874.

To all'whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, GARRET VAN WINKLE, of Kalamazoo, Vin the county ofKalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented a new and valuableImprovement in BuriaLUases; andI do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operationof the same, reference being had to thel annexed drawings, K'making apart of this specification, and to the'lettcrs and iigures of referencemarked thereon.

Figure l of the drawing is a representation of' a vertical transversesection ot' my burial,- case, and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal secitional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

-This invention has relation to burial-cases of which the lid or top'isl semi-cylindrical in' form, and is adaptedto rotate under theinterior receptacle for the corpse, for the purpose o'f opening thesame, and tobe rotated up in position over the said receptacle, wherebyit is perfectly covered. The nature of the invention and improvement inthis class ot' burial-eases consists in a 'cylindrical pivot rigidlysecured to the inside ot' the ends of a burial-case, and adapted to bereceived into corresponding perforations in the ends of a rotatingsemi-cylindrical lid or top, whereby not only is the top accuratelyguided in its rotation, but a means is afforded whereby thebody-receptacle may be` rigidly secured against tilting when its burdenis placed therein. It also consists in a strip of rubber rigidlysecured' to the inner receptacle at or near its upper edge, whereby allescape o't gases and other products of' decomposition from the interiorof the case is ei'ectually prevented when the lid is closed, bythe closeimpinging. of the said rubber strip against the .inner surface of thelid.

In the annexed drawings, A designates the outer case of my improvedcasket, which is preferably of rectangular form. This case is designedto be of any style of ornamentation, and is preferably ot' wood. l5designates a hollow lid or cover in the for-n1 ot' a segment of Vacylinder, presenting in cross-section a curve greater than a semicirele,as shown in Fig. l, which lis applied within the case A,

and is rigidly held against upward or downinner receptacle of myimproved casket, which is of such a length and width as that it shalltit snugly within the lid B, and is preferably 'ot' greater width at thetop than at bottoni.

The case C is appliedwithin the ease A in the following manner, to wit:rlhe lid B is rotated so that it shall descend into the outer case,thereby bringing its coneavity upward.` and its upper edge nearly flushwith the corresponding edge of the said ease. The inner receptacle, (l,is then introduced into the hollow ot' the lid,and rigidly secured bymeans of` two or more screws, s, to the-cylindrical pivots b,.as showninligsalsand 2. lhese pivots being of considerable diameter, I amenabled to make the perforations in the ends oi' the receptacle for thereception of the screws s some distance apart, thus holding it rigidlyin a horizontal position, and preventin-g all vertical vibrationwhatever.

With a view to preventing the escape of gases Aevolved duringdecomposition, I have in practice used Vthe following device, to witz Iapply to the upper edges of the inner case,

C, a strip of rubber, c, of suitable thickness,

and of such width that when it is rigidly clamped by means of awoodenstrip, d, to the upper edge of the said case, it shall completely ll up.the space between it and the revolving lid B at its sides and ends, asshown in Figs. 1 and l2. Under ordinary circumstances this rubber stripeti'ectually prevents the escape oi' gases from the interior of theease.

NVhen the Vbody is in the case C,Iuse the `following device to preventthe rotation ot" lid B, to wit: Two or more pivotal catches, f, arearranged at each side ofthe outer case,A, in horizontal slots z cut intothe verticalsides ofthe said ease, whichY are caused bymeans of` a keyor knob, k, to engage witha corres pouding groove,, in the outer surfaceof the lid, securely locking the same, and preventing all casualvibration.

v I may,in' praetioe,make use of a glass plate,`

Grover the face of theoorpse, and may, with a view .to showing thefull-length ligure, construct the whole lid ofthe same material. What Iclaim as new is-L 1. In a burial-case, the combination, with tbe outerease,'A and the inner receptacle1 C, rigidly connected by means ofsorewss and oy'- lindrieal blocks, b,.of the`1id B, rotating on the saidblocks, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the rotating holloriT lid B, of the rubberstrip e, held in position'upon the upperv edges of case C by clampstripsd, substantially as specified, and for the purpose set forth. l A

In testimony that I claim 'the above I have hereunto subscribedmy namein the presence of twowituesses. f

- eARREr VAN WiNKLn.

f( Witnesses: .y

HENRY C. BR'IGGS,

GEoRGE E. Ummm.

